Starting to think about secondary school for ds1...

[PrettyCandles]

Wondering about the pros and cons of the different systems.

Selective/non-selective?
Fee-paying/non-fee-paying?
Local/commuting?
What to look for in a school? Does it make any difference if a school is designated a 'specialist school' in any particular subjects?

Would it be worth putting ds in for scholarship exams? He's a bright boy. What's the salary cutoff for scholarships?

We might be able to afford to put one child through private ed, but have two more to consider!
And any other questions that haven't yet occured to us.

So, if you've been through this, please advise!

Scholarships aren't necessarily worth very much financially. Lots of schools are going over to Bursaries.
However I would suggest you make a list of possibles (taking into account travel). Then go and visit. I'd suggest visiting a private school first, then a good state one. I did this and actually choose state as the facitlities weren't that inferior (except the car park and dining hall), it was a shorter commute, gets good results and without an entrance exam.
You need to look at your family and your child. The same school may not suit all your children.

Scholarships are usually for about 1/3 of the fees. In theory your dc might be able to pick up two (say, academic + music) but they are competitive.

Salary level for a bursary is pretty low, and there is an academic component to most bursaries these days, or so it appeared with friends' dc who were going after those.

Selective schools are competitive.

All this is probably stuff you know already. You should visit a few schools; it'll help crystallise what your priorities are/what would suit your dc, and give you an idea of what's on offer where you are. It is all very variable depending on your location.

Look at individual schools. Also look at your individual child. If he got a scholarship to a specific school, would it suit him and what he wants out of life? Would he work hard?

My dh got a scholarship to a very good secondary, loved the place but was quite simply not prepared to do the work- he failed his A-levels.

I did far better academically at my bog standard comp.

Now I am quite sure that was nothing to do with the actual schools- and everything to do with the actual children!

So make sure wherever he goes that he is in on the programme so to speak.

This is worth a read:

www.amazon.co.uk/Secondary-School-Parents-Guide-Need2know/dp/1861440936/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&q id=1274385344&sr=8-2

I've had a preview look at it.